Creamy Turkey & Potato Soup with Spinach

When you’re tired of being frozen on a day where you’re totally snowed in and its storming like crazy… you’ve got to make this soup to warm up!!  If you use all of the listed ingredients, this recipe will remind you of a Thanksgiving dinner of sorts in a bowl.  B and I enjoyed this Sunday evening while watching movies.  I highly recommend it.  I know that using ground meat in a soup in definitely not ‘normal’ turkey soup, but trust me… this turns out wonderfully.  I will warn you… There are several ingredients and this soup cannot be made in 20 minutes or less, but it’s SO good… you’ve gotta try it just once!     

What You Need:

1 – 1.25 lbs ground turkey

1 – 32 ox box chicken or turkey stock (broth works too)

2 cups milk, at room temperature

3-4 small Yukon gold potatoes, 1” dice (or any other thin skinned potato)

6 oz grated cheese (I used garlic infused jack)

½ large brown onion (about a cup), ½ “dice

3 medium carrots (about a cup), thinly sliced

3 small stalks celery (about a cup), thinly sliced

8 oz baby spinach

6-9 cloves garlic, minced (to taste)

2 Tbs Italian parsley, minced (dried would probably work here also)

2 Tbs butter

3 Tbs flour

1 Tbs + 4 tsp olive oil

1 tsp 21 seasoning salute (or your favorite salt free seasoning blend - to taste)

½ tsp poultry seasoning (optional, but highly recommended)

2 bay leaves (optional, but highly recommended)

½ tsp salt and pepper, divided (to taste)

 

What To Do:

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the celery, carrot, onion and bay leaf. Sauté over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until softened. Season the vegetables with ¼ tsp salt and pepper. Remove from pan and set aside.

Add another 2 tsp of oil into the pan and turn the heat up to medium high heat. Add the ground turkey and bay leaf and sauté for 4-6 minutes or until lightly browned, adding the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper, 21 seasoning salute and poultry seasoning.


Push turkey and garlic to the outside of the pan and melt butter in the center with 1 Tbs olive oil. Once the butter is mostly melted, add the flour in and cook over medium heat stirring constantly for about 2 minutes.


Add the carrots, celery and onions back into the pan and slowly add the chicken stock a little at a time, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.


Bring to a simmer and add potato for 10-12 minutes or until potato is fork tender.


Add the milk and bring up to temperature without boiling or the milk could curtle.  Remove from heat and add spinach, mix and then put the lid on until wilted. Add cheese and parsley. Serve with crusty bread.




Edited to add: makes 10 - 2c servings

Nutritional Stats for 1 Serving

Bon Appétit!
Mary

**cook’s note: I don’t recommend freezing this soup as it has a creamy broth and also potatoes which tend to break down quite a bit when defrosting and then cooking again…**



 

Black Bean & Sweet Potato Enchilada Casserole

One of my most favorite things to eat is Mexican food, but not just any Mexican food… Enchiladas to be specific. Today I decided that I wanted to put a fun spin on my usual enchilada recipe by making it into a casserole. This casserole not only tastes great the day you make it, but make a double batch and freeze half for a rainy day when you don’t feel like cooking. Enchiladas happen to be one of my favorite ways to use up left over roasted meats and vegetables. Just add some cheese and enchilada sauce and … BOOM! Dinner is served. Top with your favorite garnishes: guacamole, salsa, sour cream/ Greek yogurt and hot sauce.

What You Need:

1 – 1.25 lbs ground turkey
6 - fajita sized whole wheat tortillas (or any tortilla you like), each torn in half
2 – 12 oz jars red enchilada sauce
1 – 10 oz can Rotel tomatoes with green peppers, partially drained
1 – 4 oz can green chilies
1 – 15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 medium brown onion, diced
1 medium sweet potato (orange inside), micro waved until tender (6-7min), then diced
6 large cloves garlic, minced
½ - 1 ¼ cup shredded cheese (optional & to taste)
4 tsp extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 Tbs, plus 1 tsp cumin (or to taste)
1 Tbs, plus 2 tsp salt free chili powder (or to taste – I like Spice Hunter)
½ tsp kosher salt, divided
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided

What To Do:

Heat half of the oil in a large skillet and sauté onion for 6 minutes over medium heat seasoned with ¼ tsp salt and pepper, adding garlic during the last minute of cooking. Once the vegetables are cooked, push them to the outside of the pan.

Add the remaining oil and brown meat until cooked thoroughly, about 7-9 minutes over medium high heat, seasoned with spice mixture, salt and pepper.

Next, add all of the remaining ingredients into the pan, except for the cheese and cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, then remove from heat.

Preheat oven to 350*. Spray the inside of a large baking dish (13x9) with cooking spray. Layer the meat mixture, cheese, enchilada sauce and tortillas, making sure that the top layer of the casserole is the enchilada sauce and cheese.








Bake for 35-45 minutes tented with foil, or until bubbling, and then bake for an additional 10-15 minutes with the foil off so that the cheese can brown. Allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before trying to serve.





Serves 8 (Bake in two separate, smaller pans and freeze one!)



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Cabernet Meat Sauce

I have been wanting to make a homemade meat sauce for ages as it is one of my husband's favorites meals. Today the weather cooled down a bit and a spaghetti night on the back porch was starting to sound great, so I picked up the essentials at the market. Unlike most of the recipes I post about, this one can’t be whipped up quickly, but what it lacks in speed, it makes up for in flavor.  Promise.  Any time I use meat in a red sauce, I can't resist adding some red wine to add just one more layer of flavor. So today I introduce my cabernet meat sauce. If you prefer to omit the wine, you could substitute broth in its place. Serve this sauce over long pasta or spaghetti squash with lots of red pepper flakes, Italian parsley and parmesan cheese if desired.

What You Need:

1 lb lean ground turkey (or ground meat of your choice)
2 – 28 oz cans whole peeled tomatoes in juice (San Marzano)
1 – 6 oz can tomato paste
½ brown onion, very finely chopped
1 carrot, very finely chopped
1 cup cabernet sauvignon
3 cloves garlic, minced (or to taste)
1 bay leaf (dried or fresh)
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
½ tsp kosher salt, divided
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper, divided

Red pepper flakes, Italian parsley and parmesan cheese (optional)

What To Do:

Heat the oil in a large high sided skillet over medium heat and sauté onion and carrot for 6 minutes, adding the garlic during the last minute of cooking. Season with ¼ tsp salt and pepper.

Add turkey to the pan and turn up the heat to medium high. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and season with remaining salt and pepper. Cook for 6 minutes.

Next, add tomato paste into the center of the pan and cook for 2 minutes.

Gently fold the tomato paste in with the meat mixture and add wine. Allow the alchohol in the wine to cook off for about 3-4 minutes or until thickened.

Carefully add the tomatoes. Using your hand or the back of a wooden spoon, break up whole tomatoes into small pieces.



Simmer sauce for 1 hour or until desired thickness.








Serves 4 - 6




Bon Appetit!
Mary

Mini Meatloafs A La Florentine

This version of my mini meatloafs has been inspired by a dish in the style of Florence (Italy). Dishes a la florentine were traditionally made with eggs, fish or white meat and often served with Mornay sauce. Bottom line… these mini meatloafs are loaded with spinach. Spinach has a plethora of micro nutrients that we all need. Some of them are vitamins (A, B2, C, E &K), folate, iron, folic acid and omega-3 fatty acids. As with my Italian style loafs, I added both grated onion and carrot here to keep these hearty and juicy. Serve with quinoa mac n' cheeze (recipe coming soon).

What You Need:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1/3 cup egg whites from carton
16 oz frozen spinach, defrosted and water squeezed out
1 medium onion, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
6-8 garlic cloves (or to taste)
1/3 cup parmesan cheese
1/3 cup Italian parsley, minced
2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
½ tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper (or to taste)

What To Do:

Heat the oven to 350* and spray the inside of a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix with hands.

Divide mixture evenly among the 12 cups.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until no longer pink.















Serves 4-6



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Italian Style Mini Meatloafs

With a craving for Italian and a pound of ground turkey in the fridge, I got to work. You may be wondering why on earth I would want to put carrots in a meatloaf… The answer is simple. Grated carrot will not only keep your meat extra juicy, it will bulk up this meal with extra vitamins and minerals (vitamin A and beta carotene). To save time, you could buy them pre-grated. In addition to grating the carrots, I decided to grate the onion for an extra, extra juicy meatloaf. Serve with mashed potatoes.

What You Need:

1 lb lean ground turkey
1 medium carrot, grated
1/3 cup egg white (or one whole egg)
½ cup loosly packed Italian parsely, minced
6-8 cloves garlic (to taste), minced
¼ large red onion, grated or finely chopped
1 medium tomato, seeds removed and finely chopped
3 Tbs sundried tomatoes packed in oil, sliced (optional)
2 tsp red pepper flakes (to taste)
½ tsp kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

What To Do:

Heat the oven to 350* and spray the inside of a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix with hands.

Divide mixture evenly among the 12 cups and sprinkle with more red pepper flakes.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until no longer pink. Serve with mashed potatoes.













Serves 4-6



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Mini Southwestern Meatloafs

I first saw this method for mini meatloaves on a blog called Meals and Moves (http://mealsandmoves.wordpress.com/meals/spinach-turkey-muffins/). Janetha would make these and then heat them up throughout the week for lunch and dinner. I thought it was a very clever idea and have wanted to come up with my own version for quite some time now. I really wanted to have a chipotle flavored meatloaf with lots of smoky heat and I think this recipe delivers. Serve with ketchup and hot sauce.

What You Need:

1 lb ground turkey
3 green onions, minced
¼ cup red onion, minced
1 - 2 chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (to taste), minced
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 whole egg, lightly beaten
2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt free chili powder
1 ½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
Non stick cooking spray

What To Do:

Heat the oven to 350* and spray the inside of a muffin pan with nonstick cooking spray. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix with hands.

Divide mixture evenly among the 12 cups and sprinkle with more red pepper flakes.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, or until no longer pink. Serve with ketchup and hot sauce.













Serves 4



Bon Appétit!
Mary

Mary's Slow Cooker Chili

My turkey chili is made up of vegetables, beans and tomatoes with a smoky, spicy punch from the adobo chilies. It’s low in fat and high in protein and fiber, making it filling, but not heavy. For days when you want to have a savory warm supper with minimal effort, this chili hits the spot. By prepping the onions and peppers the night before, all that’s left for the morning is browning the meat and you’re good to go. We’re using canned chilies here, and you will have several chilies left over after you make this recipe (I had 8). I recommend putting 2-3 per Ziploc snack bag and sticking them in the freezer so you can use them in future creations. This dish freezes extremely well and can be reheated on a chilly day, when you don’t have time for cooking.

What You Need:

1 ½ lbs ground turkey

3 sweet peppers, diced

1 sm-med brown onion, diced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 - 15 oz can pinto beans, drained
1 - 20 oz can kidney beans, drained
1 - 6oz can tomato paste
1 - 28 oz can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 - 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes with chipotle seasonings, undrained
12 oz beer at room tempurature (Sam Adam’s)
2 adobo chilies, minced
2 cups frozen corn
½ tsp salt and pepper to taste
3 Tbs chili powder
2 Tbs cumin
1 Tbs oil (any kind will work)

Optional Toppings: hot sauce, shredded cheese, sour cream or Greek yogurt and minced onion

What To Do:

Heat 1 Tbs oil (any kind will work) in a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, brown turkey for about 8 minutes and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Combine all ingredients, except corn, in a slow cooker.

Stir well and cook on low setting for 8 hours, adding corn during last hour of cooking.

Serves A Crowd

Bon Appétit!

Mary

Mary's Spicy Taco Salad

My inspiration for this dish was a vibrant, green bunch of cilantro I bought at Mother’s Market a few days ago and some dark meat ground turkey. I wanted this dish to be quick, easy, light and delicious! Perfect for a summer evening because it doesn't heat the kitchen up.  I really think the creaminess of the yogurt really balances out the super spiciness of the Trader Joe’s taco seasoning. Once you mix it all around, no dressing needed. ;)

What You Need:
1 lb ground dark meat turkey
1 sm-med brown onion, diced
2 tsp taco seasoning (I used TJ’s, YUM(!), but a tad salty)
1 head romaine lettuce, washed dried and cut into thin strips
½ cucumber, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup cherry tomatoes, washed, dried and halved
4 green onions, thinly sliced
1/3 cup lightly packed fresh cilantro, minced
½ cup geek yogurt, divided (Fage 2%)
Juice of ½ a lime, divided
1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Optional: Hot sauce

What To Do:


In a large skillet, heat oil over medium high heat until hot. Reduce to medium heat and sauté brown onion for 8-10 minutes or until golden, but not burned. Push onions to the outside of the pan and bring heat back up to medium high before adding the turkey. Crumble and season meat with taco seasoning. Cook until turkey is no longer pink and keep warm.

Divide lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber among four plates. Pile up a portion of the turkey mixture in the center of each salad. Top each salad with green onion, cilantro and lime juice. Serve with a dollop of yogurt and hot sauce.

Serves 4 or 1 really hungry husband plus 1 ;)

Bon Appétit!

Mary